Jan 30, 2026 update: This story has been superseded. For the latest news on the sale of Nine Radio, click here.
It was supposed to be a done deal by now, but the sale of the Nine Radio network, including 4BC in Brisbane, has reportedly gone off the rails.
And with its new 4BC Breakfast show due to launch in less than two weeks, Nine is doing little to spread the word about it — even on its own online platforms.
The Australian’s well-connected media writer, Steve Jackson, is reporting that “the bidding war for Nine’s national radio division is teetering on the brink of collapse with several consortiums threatening to abandon their offers after accusing the media giant of ‘arrogantly’ trying to rush through a sale and refusing to address troubling ‘rabbit holes’ in the business’s books”.
Jackson’s story says the bidders were shocked to discover the true state of Nine Radio’s books, with claims that the radio network is nowhere near as profitable as the seller has claimed, that its two senior Sydney suits are overpaid compared to the value of the business, and that some of the core costs are being paid by the parent company.
The report also says that the 4BC studio in Cannon Hill is the only property actually owned outright by Nine Radio, with the company leasing space in other capitals.
While the story claims that several bidders have gone cold on the prospect of owning the network, it finishes by saying that John “Singo” Singleton remains “bullish” about his chances of picking up the stations at a bargain price.
Meanwhile, it’s silly-season business as usual at 4BC — although the station’s website doesn’t give much of a clue about its already announced plans for this year.
Dean Miller and Sofie Formica have been named as the new Breakfast hosts, to start on January 19, but as of last night (January 6), there’s no sign of them on the home page or the Breakfast page of the 4BC website.
The poorly maintained Nine for Brands website, which I’ve called out before, shows no incumbent for 4BC Breakfast, just a photo of the river and the CBD. It also credits Formica in her previous gig of Afternoons host (with no mention of her replacement, Carla Bignasca), and features Peter Psaltis as host of Wide World of Sports, even though he left the station before Christmas.
It’s extremely odd that Nine is not pushing 4BC’s new show — a situation that sits in stark contrast to the way the other Brisbane station with a new(ish) Breakfast team, Nova 1069, is already celebrating its line-up of Nick, Luttsy and Susie O’Neill.
Other stations, including KIIS, Triple M, B105 and 4BH, are also promoting their Breakfast stars on the web — even though they are on holiday.
If the numbers quoted in The Australian are correct, then a lot of people in the Nine Radio ranks will be shocked at how much their big bosses are earning. Especially concerned would be the staff at Cannon Hill, where a series of poor decisions made in Sydney, and bad communication (which, ironically, seems to be endemic in media companies) have had a negative impact on ratings and morale.*
(From the Nine For Brands website, above, and the Nova 106.9 site, below, on Jan 1, 2026.)
Disclosure: Brett Debritz once worked at 4BC.
Footy furore
My item suggesting changes to the AFL certainly ruffled some feathers.
In correspondence, one reader called it “rage bait”, while another called it “stupid”, saying:
Whichever metric you consider, participation rate, viewers/listeners, crowd attendance - AFL is clearly #1 in this country.
I do like to facilitate spirited conversation, so further comments are welcome.
Mister Brisbane is free to read but you if you really like it, you
can buy me a coffee or take out a paid subscription.
P.S.
Other media has reported on the release of designs for the Brisbane 2032 stadium at Victoria Park. A lot has been said about it evoking a traditional Queenslander house, which I can’t quite see. But to my untrained eye, it certainly looks like a stadium. Whether it’s up there with the best (for example, Beijing’s “bird’s nest”), I couldn’t say. What I can say, and I’ve already said, is that nothing is certain and the clock is ticking.
*This paragraph was redrafted after the post was sent for purposes of clarity.
QLD has always, across many sectors and industries, been at the mercy of appalling decision-making out of a Sydney head office.
I am also aware that people in north QLD feel the same way about Brisbane-based head office decision-making… the lesson is that you need to understand the market in order to make an informed decision, but most o
Head office setups are too lazy or arrogant to
Following up on your criticism of the AFL and how you think it's pretty boring and is only surpassed by the NFL in terms of being unwatchable, as someone who follows both codes, I must disagree. NFL is my favorite sport by a freakin' mile brother! It's an exciting, skillful, collision sport. I'd actually rank cricket as one of the most boring sports to watch as it's so painfully slow and I'm sure those AFL fans you ticked off probably agree